Armor



E. WISBROD Sept. 1, 1936.

ARMOR Filed May 15, 1935 Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARMOR Elliott Wlsbrod, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 15, 1935, Serial No. 21,504 1 Claims. (01. 89-36) heretofore in connection with prior vests.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a fully armored garment such as a vest that may be smartly tailored to fit the wearer and be indistinguishable from an ordinary vest and yet give complete protection against pistol and revolver fire.

It is a further object of my invention to pro vide a section of armor that may be formed about the body of the wearer and give protection against gunfire, particularly when fired at an angle to the wearer.

Other objects of my invention and their resultant advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description given in connection with the drawing in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an armored tailored vest constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vest laid out in flat position illustrating the integral construction of the vest;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through one section of armor and illustrating the section of armor when in curved position simulating actual wearing conditions;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a .section of armor in its container, the container either the front or back. All sections are 'completely armored to give full protection by means of armor that is relatively light, flexible, and particularly protective against glancing shots which might otherwise enter between the layers or strips of armor.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that my armored vest resembles a normal tailored vest and comprises a front section made up of right and left fronts l and 2 cut or tailored with the usual 5 V-neck 3 and buttoned down the center by buttons 4 and provided with the usual four pockets 5. The fronts are provided with buttons and buttonholes so as to simulate a normal vest and so-that they may be unbuttoned to receive the wearer's tie and then rebuttoned again and not for the purpose of putting on and removing the vest as will later appear. The rear section 6 comprising a single panel is formed as a-continuation of the front section and extends from the tops of'the shoulder ends of the fronts l and 2 andmay be formed as a continuation thereof or may be permanently stitched thereto as at I. The upper end of the rear panel is provided with an opening:

8 which with the V-neck provides an opening of suiiicient size to permit the head of the wearer to be inserted therethrough. Permanently stitched to the two fronts are two side panels 9,

tection where desired a groin plate ill is provided at the bottom of the front sections. The groin plate is so attached that it may be moved upwardly when the wearer is seated to provide full comfort.

A strap II is provided at each side to retain the vest sections snugly against the wearer. In the present illustration, a. strap is shown as attached to each side of the rear panel and cooperates with a buckle I! attached to the side of each of the fronts. Thus the vest may be put on by inserting the head through the opening 8 and V-neck 3 and may be retained in position upon the wearer by two straps and their cooperative buckles, one at each side.

Each of the vest sections is fully armored by sections of armor arranged in a somewhat similar manner. That is, the sections of armor are constructed and placed in containers for attachment to or incorporation in thevest sections in a similar manner, but the strips of armor are arranged somewhat differently. In the front and side sec- 5 tions, the strips of armor are arranged with their longitudinal edges extending vertically, whereas in the back section the strips of armor are arranged with their longitudinal edges arranged horizontally thus permitting close fitting of the vest and at the same time complete and full normal movement of the body. l

In view of the fact that each section of armor which is attached to the vest sections or is incorporated therein is constructed the same except as to shape and outside dimensions, it will only be necessary to describe one section in detail.

Each section of armor is placed within a container or support comprising a pair of backing sheets I5, preferably made of rubberized or otherwise waterproofed material arranged with the,

warp of one sheet parallel to the weft of the other, thus eliminating stretching of the strips. Relatively long narrow strips I 6.01 a heavy material such as a heavy duck are stitched to the backing sheets l5 to provide overlapping pockets ll for the reception of armor later to be described. It has been found practicable to make the pockets approximately two inches wide and ten inches deep for most uses. The pockets arearranged by stitching both longitudinal edges of the first or marginal strip of duck Hi to the backing members l5 asat "3 (Figs. 3 and 4) to provide a pocket between the backing members l5 and the strips of duck l6. The second and succeeding strips of duck are each sewed by a line of'stitching I9 along one edge thereof to 'the adjacent-strip of duck intermediate its edges, 1. e. slightly inwardly from the adjacent edge and along its other edge to the backing member by a line of stitching l8, thus providing a series of slightly overlapping pockets l1. Into each pocket thus formed is inserted one or more strips of armor 2|, such as armor steel tempered to the desired degree of hardness and resiliency. In Figs. 3 and 4, there is shown a single strip of such armor in each pocket, whereas in Fig. 5 there is illustrated three such strips in each pocket. r

Each strip of armor is previously rolled or otherwise formed with its longitudinal edges offset in opposite directions so that the longitudinal edges lie in different planes from the body of the strip. Thestrips are arranged in the pockets with the marginal edges overlapping in a complementary interlocking fashion with the overlapping edges substantially parallel. This formation of the strips of armor makes it possible to curve or fit the finished section to the contour of the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the marginal edges as would otherwise occur. That is, if the strips were perfectly flat or uni-planar and the section was curved to fit the body, the adjoining edges would separate in a sort of V-formation into which V- formation a bullet may enter and possibly project. In accordance with the present invention, the offset or curved edges provide considerable flexibility without any separation whatever of the marginal edges. Thus greater pro'tection is afforded against glancing or angular shots, because projectiles or fragments thereof approaching from the side are not apt to get under the edges as would be the case if they were separated.

Prior to placing the strips of armor in their respective pockets, they are preferably coated with a coatingof rubber 22 (Fig. 4) preferably plastic which inaddition to securing the strips in the pockets provides additional resiliency and also Waterproofs the strips so that they will not rust or corrode due to atmospheric or climatic condi- 23 (Fig. 4) such as an adhesive tape to prevent the edges and corners thereof from cutting through the pockets after continued use.

In applying the armor sections to the vest sections, the armor sections may be attached to the rear side and groin sections or may themselves constitute the rear side and groin sections as illustrated by being covered with a suitable fabric covering. In the case of the front section of the vest, however, it is preferable to use two sections of armor, an upper and lower, arranged in such a manner that they overlap each other and are free to move vertically with respect to each other. This arrangement permits greater bodily movement by the wearer without undue comfort and also provides additional protection around the region of the heart.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an armored vest that may be fully tailored to make it practically indistinguishable from an ordinary vest. Furthermore, the unitary integral construction makes it possible to put the vest on very rapidly and with a minimum amount of trouble, the vest being secured merely by a pair of straps or buckles. The somewhat articulated arrangement of the armor strips within the vest is such that the vest will snugly conform to the body of the wearer without discomfort and' yet permit full and normal bodily movement, and afford no restriction against combat or rapid movement. The arrangement of and shaping the marginal edges of the strips of armor whereby an overfap and interlocking,

thereof is provided also affords complete protection against gunfire from practically any angle, even though the sections are curved considerably to conform to the body of the wearer.

A vest constructed in accordance with the foregoing invention is capable of positively stopping the latest and most powerful pistol ammunition now commercially available, generally known as .38 super automatic cartridges. These cartridges are metal jacketed, weight grains and have an approximate muzzle velocity of 1250 feet per second with a muzzle energy of 490 foot pounds.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that minor deviations from the preferred construction and arrangement may be indulged in without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a section of, light armor adapted to be used in combination with gearing apparel, a series of strips of armor arranged with the edges of adjacent strips substantially parallel and overlapping, the overlapping edges of each of said strips lying in different planes from the body of the strips, whereby the strips of armor may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the overlapping edges of the strips.

2. In a section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel, a series of strips of armor, each strip having its longitudinal edges offset in opposite directions and lying in different planes from the body of the strip, said strips being arranged with the edges of adjacent strips substantially parallel and overlapping, whereby the strips may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the overlapping edges of said strips.

3. A section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel, comprising a flexible support and a series of strips of armor supported thereby. with the edges of adjacent 4. A section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel, comprising a flexible fabric container and a series of strips of armor supported by said container, with the edges of adjacent strips overlapping the overlap ping edges of each of said strips lying in different planes from the body of the strips whereby the section of armor may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the overlapping edges of the strips;

5. A section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel comprising a flexible fabric container having a series of overlapping pockets therein, and a strip of armor within each pocket and arranged with the edges of adjacent strips overlapping, the overlapping edges of each of said strips lying in different planes from the body of the strips whereby the section of armor may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the overlapping edges of the strips.

. 6. A section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel comprising a flexible fabric container and a series of strips of armor supported by said container, with the edges of adjacent strips overlapping, said strips of armor being coated with plastic rubber and the overlapping fedges of'said strips lying in different planes from the body of strips whereby the section of armor may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separation of the overlapping edges of the strips.

7. A section of light armor adapted to be used in combination with wearing apparel comprising a flexible fabric container having a series of overlapping-pockets therein, and a strip of armor within each pocket and arranged with the edges of adjacent strips overlapping, said strips of armor being coated'with plastic rubber, the overlapping edges of said strips lying in different planes from the body of the strips whereby the section of .armor may be formed about the body of the wearer without any substantial separationof the overlapping edges of the strips.

ELLIOTT WISBROD. 

